It's at the very least an island of two. It's like Easy Rider meets the Big Lebowski meets Spring Breakers. I once called it "the Tree of Life of stoner comedies" and stand by that.

My favorite little moment is in the opening when he playfully kicks a trashcan (Trashhumpers) then lovingly plays with a white cat (Gummo), which felt like Korine telling you from the get go that this wasn't going to make you miserable or uncomfortable; it's here to have a good time.

Well, ya know, I'd never seen a Korine movie and I didn't even look him up to see who he was or what he had done until the movie was over. So I had no sense that I might be in for something other than just what a passing glance at a poster or trailer might tell you. And it is so much more than that.

Well, ya know, I'd never seen a Korine movie and I didn't even look him up to see who he was or what he had done until the movie was over. So I had no sense that I might be in for something other than just what a passing glance at a poster or trailer might tell you. And it is so much more than that.

I'm a pretty big Korine fan. I've only not seen Julien Donkey Boy. I wouldn't recommend Gummo or Trash Humpers to people despite admiring both as they're oppressively ugly films, sometimes literally ugly (TH was filmed on old camcorders).

I think that there's something infectiously watchable about everything he's made though so even when I may not like what I'm looking at, I can't take my eyes off it. It's an energy that few art filmmakers have and I'd be forced to liken him to someone like Herzog, with a penchant for white trash.

Mister Lonely seems to be where he started developing his playful side though it wasn't quite developed.

Spring Breakers is the film that really made me take notice and love his work. On it's surface, it's about privileged, largely white girls that go to Florida and commit crimes with a Riff Raff wannabe but like the Beach Bum, it's so much more than that. An irreverent, Malick-esque exploration of materialism and vacuous party culture. Rock hates it but he is most certainly wrong on this one.

If you love the Beach Bum, I'd give it's Skrillex tinged, angry sister a try before going into any more Korine.

That said, I think TBB may be my favorite Korine too. It's the cinematic equivalent of a delicious margarita and floating in a pool while listening to Van Morrison. I think I'll watch it again soon.

The Beach Bum is in my top three movies of this year (together with High Life and The Favourite). I saw it in a theater with a bunch of drunk college kids, who I hated at first, but that ended up being a perfect experience, somehow.

I wrote about the movie on my blog, if you don't mind the shameless self-promotion.

The Beach Bum is in my top three movies of this year (together with High Life and The Favourite). I saw it in a theater with a bunch of drunk college kids, who I hated at first, but that ended up being a perfect experience, somehow.

I wrote about the movie on my blog, if you don't mind the shameless self-promotion.

Shameless self-promotion is totally allowed, we all wanna have our work read, right?

Harmony Korine’s latest is deeply hilarious and seemingly goes nowhere in between. I was actually surprised how much I liked this one considering how it finds most of its humor in showing the sheer decadence of these rich, privileged people. The trailer of the movie suggests that Matthew McConaughey’s Moondog goes on some spiritual journey in an attempt to become a better person, while in fact that couldn’t be further from the truth. Moondog in this movie is a textbook example of someone failing upwards, who learns nothing in the process, does whatever the fuck he wants, and eventually gets rewarded for this. His so-called writing process of creating the next great American novel comes down to him jotting down some words on his typewriter once in a while in between a hangover and his afternoon nap, usually with some cocktail or a massive joint in his other hand.

And his actual poetry is mediocre at best, while his audience mostly exists out of people who don’t strike me as the kind that enjoys the art form, and who seem more amused by his whole clowns act rather than actually being appreciative of his writings. Moondog is like a cute, untrained puppy, the kind that people applaud because he only pooped on the stone floor instead of the expensive carpet. Korine seems to suggests that if you’re rich and confident enough of your own genius, people will tolerate everything you do and even praise you for it. He’s probably right about that.

This might sound like I was somewhat offended by this movie, which I certainly am not. I don’t even have any kind of disdain for the Moondog character, despite all the ways I previously described him. In fact, I actually had some mild admiration for him while watching this. Or jealousy might be a better word for it. I envy how he has seemingly found peace in this crazy, empty world, only allowing whatever brings him joy into his own personal bubble. "I’m a reverse paranoid. I’m quite certain the world is conspiring to make me happy." he says with a smile. Can you even imagine ever having such a carefree attitude towards everything in life?

There is something poetic about how Korine portrays this world of advantage and indulgence. You can almost describe it like a perverted feelgood movie. There is a weightlessness to it all. Like every moment your feet can leave the ground and you will float around in the air, going wherever the wind will take you, dancing in between the pink clouds.

It's at the very least an island of two. It's like Easy Rider meets the Big Lebowski meets Spring Breakers. I once called it "the Tree of Life of stoner comedies" and stand by that.

My favorite little moment is in the opening when he playfully kicks a trashcan (Trashhumpers) then lovingly plays with a white cat (Gummo), which felt like Korine telling you from the get go that this wasn't going to make you miserable or uncomfortable; it's here to have a good time.

Well, that's two out of three (yet to see Easy Rider).

How does this compare to Surfer, Dude in the shirtless surfer philosopher subgenre?

This is basically the same thing I wrote on my blog. This way it is easier to read without disturbing the flow of the conversation.

Ya know, it sounds like we both liked the movie but for very different reasons; I read the film very differently from you.
My take on Moondog was that it turned out, despite all appearances to the contrary, that he was a genius after all, both in talent and philosophy, and that, after persevering, by way of his utterly unshakeable, Taoist-like approach to life, through enough hardships that might fell so many others or at least shake them of their philosophy, his adherence to his philosophy carried him through, his willingness to do what he must while still being true to himself, and his genius was realized again, first in actual success and then in the way he not only did not let success alter his philosophy, he actually used it to carry his philosophy to an even grander place. I found it transcendent.

Well, we were all just grabbed by this.
The General came on during the Buster Keaton marathon earlier this month and I had muted the TV while some other film was on and I had friends over but when this came on we couldn’t help it, it just sucked us in and we kept watching and then we kept trying to stop and just hang out but the movie just kept pulling us in and eventually we just had to give in to it.
I had not watched any Buster Keaton films (I felt like I knew all about Buster Keaton, but had never actually watched any of his films in their entirety) in my life and I watched about 2 1/2 that day, and had the others going in the background the whole day, and I gotta tell ya, I was pretty taken. I mean, I couldn’t believe how great it was and how great he was and I also watched TCM’s short biography on him and I’m just kind of a fan now.
This film in particularly just kept hitting us with scene after scene, great shots, amazing stunts, unbelievable set-pieces as far as we could tell.

I mean, it’s like you think you know movies until you really go back and watch some of the earlier stuff and then you realize so many influences on the work that you know. Now these were not my first silent films, I’ve seen many, but this was really such obviously hugely influential work, like I say, we just kinda stopped and marveled at it.
This film in particular was just striking at every turn and really special. It is hard to imagine that it was a critical and box-office flop at the time and basically was a stake through the heart of his career, especially now that it is considered one of the greatest films ever made.

I actually watched that for the first time just yesterday. I was planning on writing something on it this weekend, but here you go stealing my thunder and all. All kidding aside, it's easily one of the most entertaining films I've seen in years. In addition to multiple standout shots and stunts which managed to make my jaw drop despite being over 90 years old, I also picked up on some nuanced character moments after I read Ebert's review where he described Johnnie Gray as a man who takes himself seriously. I rewatched the first 10 minutes and I was quite impressed at how much the way I initially viewed that section had changed. Several moments such as Gray kicking the two kids out of Annabelle's house, cutting in front of people while attempting to get drafted, and the famous shot of him sitting on a moving train began to take double meanings. I imagine I'll get more out of it the second time around.

I saw The General on the big screen earlier this year. It was a kiddie Matinee, so I was surrounded by five year olds. We all loved it. Not the funniest Keaton I've seen, but it was an unexpected thrilling watch. I guess you could call it an early example of an action comedy.

I saw The General on the big screen earlier this year. It was a kiddie Matinee, so I was surrounded by five year olds. We all loved it. Not the funniest Keaton I've seen, but it was an unexpected thrilling watch. I guess you could call it an early example of an action comedy.

The train and bridge collapsing just blows my mind. Apparently the most expensive scene in film history up to that point.